


Amethyst

by EinsamkeitSerif



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Demon Hunters, Alternate Universe - Demons, Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Human Names Used, M/M, kinda OOC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 05:54:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17136230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EinsamkeitSerif/pseuds/EinsamkeitSerif
Summary: A demon hunter falls in love with a certain violet-eyed demon.On that fateful night, Alfred Jones meets a demon that steals his heart and changes his life forever. It's hard being a demon hunter when killing demons becomes the last thing you want to do, but it's worth it.But demons were never meant to fall in love with humans, were they?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for **Shepka** (vodkanburgers) on Tumblr for the Hetalia Holiday Special.

_Alfred met him a few years ago._

Alfred was a demon hunter. It wasn’t particularly out of the ordinary; many young men and women opted for this high paying job as soon as they reached eighteen. After all, demon hunting wasn’t exactly difficult - just patrol around, and shoot and kill a demon to receive a ludicrous amount of money!-, and the training required practically took no time at all compared to the other jobs. Of course, there were a few downsides, such as the late night shifts… and dying, of course. But all recruits were provided with rifles and anything else they needed, so that rarely happened unless you were careless.

So that was why Alfred was prowling through the dark with a rifle in his hands. Pine trees towered all around him, and the ferns rustled as he moved quietly through them. He knew that the rest of the hunters in his shift were spread out somewhere in the forest, too, but they were nowhere to be seen.

Of course, it was this fateful night that Alfred let his guard slip. As he wandered about, his mind wandered aimlessly too. There was a movement in the bushes that he brushed off as a stray animal.

But what animal would choose to inhabit a forest full of demons?

A dark shape burst from that very bush. Alfred’s cry was stifled as something slammed into his chest - hard. His breath was knocked out of his lungs as the back of his head snapped against a nearby tree.

Before he could even lift his rifle, it was knocked out of his hands. He found himself pinned to a tree by his wrists and his rifle lying somewhere beneath him, leaving him completely vulnerable.

Clawed nails dug into his wrists, probably drawing blood. He didn’t have to look up to know what it was: a demon, probably hungry and eager for its next meal.

His breaths came in sharp gasps as he finally became aware of his impeding doom. He was defenceless against this creature without his rifle; completely vulnerable to its claws and teeth. It was probably going to tear him open and eat him alive, and Alfred couldn’t do anything about it.

_No… I can’t die like this. I won’t die like this. If I die, I’ll die fighting…!_

Alfred let out a shout as he swung his leg upwards, aiming a kick directly at the demon’s stomach.

The demon shifted backwards. Alfred’s foot met thin air and he ended up flailing helplessly against the tree (much to the demon’s amusement).

_Why isn’t it doing anything?!_

The lack of movement from the demon scared him, even though he didn’t want to admit it. He quickly tired out and finally stopped flailing. A sense of helplessness coursed over him and he let himself hang limp.

There was a long moment of silence. Alfred’s head was pounding in tandem to his own heartbeats, which were rattling away at a speed that was probably unhealthy.

“ _Privyet._ ” The faintly accentuated voice surprised Alfred. First of all, he didn’t know demons could speak. Second of all, its voice was… well, extremely attractive. The accent gave the demon’s low voice a sultry whisper, which sent Alfred’s head spinning.

He forced himself to look up into the eyes of his captor, even as his heart hammered fiercely in his chest and threatened to jump straight out of his throat.

No amount of training could have prepared him for this.

They had been taught that demons were terrifying, sadistic creatures. They had clawed nails and razor sharp teeth which would tear your body open, then they would devour you alive. They had long, forked tails and glowing eyes that were said to pierce straight into your soul if you looked one straight in the eye.

Of course, the books hadn’t mentioned how _beautiful_ they would be.

His demon captor was… well, to say, gorgeous. And its eyes were absolutely stunning; two _gorgeous_ amethyst eyes stared back through long, dark lashes. Deep, dusky violets faded to frosty lavender. It was the colour of a fairytale twilight, and Alfred couldn’t help but be entranced by it.

_No wonder they said that demons’ eyes could pierce straight into your soul._

Alfred gulped as the demon leaned forward, nearly impaling his face with its curved horns. However, the demon shifted back so its face (and teeth) weren’t so close to Alfred’s face, much to his relief.

The demon tilted its head to the side, as if confused by Alfred’s reaction. A few ashen blond strands fell over its pale face as it did so.

Alfred tried to steady his breathing. Sweat prickled at the back of his neck as the demon continued to maintain eye contact without saying a word. Was it sizing him up for its next meal? Maybe he was going to die, after all.

Alfred swallowed audibly.

Just as he was about to speak, a loud gunshot rang through the darkness. The demon spun around, suddenly agitated, and dropped Alfred. The bark scraped at Alfred’s back painfully as he hit the ground clumsily.

“Wait -”

The demon flashed him another look with those dazzling violet eyes. The demon was gone a split second later, its pale (tan? pink?) scarf fluttering behind it like a second shadow.

Alfred wondered why the demon didn’t kill him.

Alfred wondered if he’d ever see the demon again.

—o—o—o—

_The demon’s name was Ivan._

It was another night in the forest. Alfred wandered his sector of the forest, rifle hanging loosely at his side.

He had begun to lose hope when there was a rustle in the bushes.

Alfred paused.

It was silent once again.

“Hi.”

His voice felt empty and small in the darkness. Alfred tried again.

“Hello.”

There was still no movement. Alfred scanned the darkness around him, hoping to catch a glimpse of the demon.

“My… my name’s Alfred. Alfred Jones.”

Alfred slowly held out his rifle, allowing the demon - he hoped it was the same demon - to see it. He let it fall to the floor with a clatter.

It was dangerous.

But it worked.

A figure prowled out of the darkness without a sound. Alfred’s breath caught in his throat once again as the demon emerged from the blanket of night.

Familiar violet eyes watched him cautiously for a few seconds, before the demon straightened up to its full height. It - no, he - was tall. To be honest, he wasn’t actually that much taller than Alfred, but he was still quite tall and probably strong enough to crush him if he desired. The demon’s long, dark tail swayed hypnotically as it stood there, unmoving.

Alfred took a deep breath, trying to still his shaking hands. When the demon made no movement to attack him, Alfred kicked his rifle away, sending it spinning into a nearby bush. The demon tensed at the sudden movement, but didn’t flee. Alfred took this as a good sign and held up his hands to show that they were empty.

“My name is Alfred Jones.” He repeated again. “I’m not here to hurt you.”

The demon blinked.

“What’s… your name?”

The demon tipped its head to the side like a confused puppy. Alfred found the action adorable… in a way.

They stood in silence for a long moment. Alfred stood as still as he could, worrying that a single movement might spook the demon.

“Ivan.” The demon finally spoke. He blinked again. “Ivan… Braginsky.”

Alfred felt a smile spreading across his face, even though he didn’t understand why.

“Ivan Braginsky.” Alfred repeated. He let the name roll off his tongue; foreign, but familiar in a way that Alfred couldn’t describe. “That’s a very nice name.”

Alfred could’ve almost imagined it, but he thought he saw Ivan’s pale face flush ever so slightly at the compliment. Ivan didn’t respond and looked away, letting the fading darkness conceal his expression.

Then he was gone once again.

This time, as Alfred fetched his rifle (he didn’t want the others to question where he’d lost it), there was a bounce to his step. He felt significantly… lighter, in a way, as if a burden had been lifted off his shoulders. He didn’t wonder whether he’d see the demon again; he wondered when he’d see the demon again.

“Ivan.” Alfred whispered under his breath.

_Truly a lovely name._

—o—o—o—

_Alfred was growing hungry._

Alfred couldn’t bear to kill a demon. Ivan’s beautiful violet eyes flashed behind his eyelids every time he reached for his rifle to go out hunting once again, mournfully watching his every move.

Even when he saw the two demons - two females, one with platinum blonde hair and another with short blonde hair - his body refused to lift his rifle.

The two demons saw him, too. The shorter one with the long hair glared at him balefully. The taller one murmured something to the other - possibly her sister - in low, soothing tones.

The two fled into the shadows as Alfred took a single step towards them.

Alfred’s hand - which rested upon his rifle - trembled as the rustling bushes finally stilled. He lowered his hand and kept walking.

There was the faintest whisper of sound behind him.

Alfred stopped.

He turned around.

To his surprise - and delight - Ivan was standing there in the open. The violet-eyed demon was clutching something in his hands and almost seemed… nervous? Or apprehensive? - much to Alfred’s surprise. After all, the first two times they had met, Ivan seemed to have adopted a completely different persona.

Alfred dropped his rifle once again and held out his hands to show that they were empty.

Ivan crept over cautiously, like a skittish fox. Alfred stood completely still as Ivan slowly made his way over to Alfred, tail flicking slowly.

“You’re… getting skinnier.”

Alfred’s heart jumped into his throat at the sound of the voice.

“I didn’t realise you could speak… English?” Alfred’s voice came out as a pathetic squeak. He felt impossibly small and weak next to this majestic creature even though Ivan wasn’t actually that much taller than him.

Ivan chuckled. It was a low, lyrical rumble that made Alfred’s heart leap in his chest. “I can speak English. I just… don’t get much of a chance.”

The slightly playful look in Ivan’s eyes faded as he spoke.

“O-oh.” Alfred gulped as a chill washed over the clearing. “I’m sorry.”

Ivan tipped his head to the side. “Why are you apologising?” He paused for a moment, before adding: “Alfred.”

The sound of his name spoken by such a melodic voice made Alfred feel jittery and warm inside. His heart was fluttering, much to his confusion. Alfred tried to focus, but it was hard when his hands were practically shaking from the sound of Ivan’s voice. “Because… it’s us humans, right? We… we’re hunting you down.”

Ivan paused. “I…” He hesitated.

“Like,” Alfred burst out in a rush, “We were told that demons eat humans. Or kill them. I’m not sure why, though, but that’s why… they’re hiring demon hunters and paying them loads of money for killing demons. I…” Guilt washed over him as he spoke the words aloud. “I became one because of that, too. I didn’t realise…”

Ivan blinked,. He seemed slightly surprised by Alfred’s sudden outburst, but did not voice it aloud.

“I… see.” He said slowly. “I do not blame you.”

Ivan let out a long, mournful sigh. Alfred felt even more guilty as Ivan looked away, as if unable to maintain eye contact with him.

“My kind… they kill humans because it is a law.”

Ivan paused.

“We have always roamed the lands freely, side by side with humans. But… one day, a demon killed a human. We do not know why, but the humans had always been looking for a chance to cage us. So they forced us into the depths of forests or caves so they could rule the lands alone.”

“The only way…” Ivan paused. “Our Tsar believes that the only way to take our territory back is to kill anyone that enters. I - many of my kind - did not believe that it would work. Until the humans began to kill us as well.”

“I’m sorry…” Alfred breathed. “I didn’t know.”

Ivan placed a single clawed finger to Alfred’s lips.

“ _Nyet_. Do not apologise: it is not your fault.” Ivan repeated.

Alfred couldn’t say anything to that. (Also, most of his concentration was on the razor sharp digit that seemed a little too close to slicing his mouth open.)

“I…” Ivan looked away once again and lowered his hand. Alfred thought he saw the faintest dusting of red upon Ivan’s pale cheeks, but the shadows hid the demon’s face once again. “I am glad I met you and realised that… not all humans are like that.”

“I-I!” Alfred gulped, feeling his face heat up once more. “I… I’m glad I met you, too?” He mentally slapped himself. _Is this the best you can come up with, Alfred?!_

Ivan chuckled softly. “I am happy that you think the same.” He paused for a moment, then his eyes lit up. “Ah, I nearly forgot.”

Ivan presented Alfred with… whatever he had been holding. When Alfred looked closer, he quickly realised that it was some sort of foreign-looking fruit with pink-red skin and green leaves.

“Humans eat fruit, right?” Ivan questioned. He pressed the red and green object into Alfred’s palm without waiting for an answer. “It is not healthy for you to eat so little. Please eat something.”

“Uh…” Alfred stared down at the fruit, then looked back at Ivan. Ivan gazed back hopefully with those irresistible amethyst eyes.

“Sure.” Alfred sighed. How could he resist such an adorable look?

Ivan watched curiously as Alfred struggled to unpeel the fruit.

“Do you need… help?” Ivan finally asked.

“…kinda?”

Ivan carefully plucked the fruit from Alfred’s hands, accidentally puncturing several holes in it as he did so. Pink juice dribbled down Ivan’s claws as he sliced a jagged line through the middle.

“Thanks.” Alfred mumbled as Ivan passed him the dripping fruit. “Do you, uh, want some?”

Ivan shook his head. “My kind does not eat fruit.”

“Oh.”

Alfred awkwardly took a bite. He could feel Ivan’s eyes on him the entire time as he slowly picked his way through the pink flesh of the fruit.

The moment felt oddly intimate.

“…thanks, Ivan.” Alfred finally said after wiping at his mouth with the back of a hand. He could feel the pink juice running down his arms and it probably was staining his mouth, which made him flush with embarrassment.

“You’re welcome.” Ivan dipped his head - probably as a gesture of politeness - and smiled. Alfred gulped at the sight of those sharp canines; but this time, it wasn’t out of fear, but out of surprise.

His smile was most possibly the brightest thing that Alfred had seen today.

“You should smile more.” Alfred blurted out.

“H-huh?” Ivan’s smile faded in an instant, much to Alfred’s disappointment. “…why?”

“I…” Alfred scratched the back of his head and chuckled nervously. “Uh, it’s very nice on you. You know, the smile. I like it.”

Ivan ducked his head. Ash blond strands fell over his eyes, obscuring his expression.

“Thank you.” Ivan finally murmured, lifting his head. “That… is very kind of you to say.”

Ivan smiled again; this time, it was brighter and wider, but still his genuine sweet smile. Alfred loved it.

“Thank you.”


	2. Chapter 2

_Over the months, Ivan opened up to him._

He had two sisters: Natalya and Yekaterina. Natalya was the younger sister and Yekaterina was the older one.

Alfred wondered if they were the two demons that he had seen before.

Ivan’s favourite colour was yellow.

Alfred was surprised by this. Ivan had never struck him as the type of person - demon? - to like such a bright, cheerful colour. Ivan said that it was the very reason he liked it: it was bright and cheerful. It made him happy.

Alfred promised to find a sunflower for him one day.

Ivan was childish and sweet.

The first time they had met, Ivan had been terrifying and beautiful all at once. Ivan sheepishly admitted that he wasn’t used to expressing such feelings; as a demon, he was meant to be terrifying. He was meant to be feared. Fear was power in their world.

Alfred clasped Ivan’s hands in his and promised that he would never have to pretend to be anything as long as he was around.

Every time his shift came, Alfred would practically run into his sector of the forest, searching for Ivan.

Ivan was there every time. His eyes would light up every time Alfred arrived and they would sit by a tree for hours, talking about anything and everything.

Living upon his part-time (and low-paying) job and his ‘demon-hunting’ patrolling job (and occasionally the fruits Ivan brought him): it was worth it to see Ivan every night. Alfred couldn’t dream of a better life than what he had now.

—o—o—o—

_Alfred told him that he loved him._

“Hello, Alfred.” Ivan greeted him.

Alfred threw himself at the taller demon and wrapped him in a fierce embrace.

“A-Alfred?”

“You didn’t show up yesterday,” Alfred said through tears. “I thought I lost you. I thought they killed you.”

Alfred knew he was being dramatic. But that night - the only night that Ivan never showed up - he had sprinted through the forest, calling his name and praying that he was still alive.

He didn’t want to imagine a life without Ivan.

“Alfred…” Ivan blinked, then awkwardly returned the hug. “I wouldn’t let them do that. Natalya made me stay home that night because she was unwell, and…” He laughed softly - albeit looking slightly abashed. “…well, she is rather… terrifying when she wants to be.”

 _Of course - he has family, you know. His life can’t revolve around you._ The little voice in Alfred’s head hissed. But - he knew he was being selfish - he ignored it and buried it somewhere underneath the mountain of emotions that was currently whirling about in his head.

“I don’t want to ever lose you.” Alfred whispered as he buried his face into Ivan’s chest. “I… I love you.”

“A-Alfred?” Ivan’s cheeks tinted rose. “I…”

Alfred suddenly jerked away and slapped a hand to his mouth. “I-!” _How could I have been so careless…?!_

Ivan’s beautiful violet eyes were suddenly filled with hurt. “Alfred…?”

“I’m sorry.” Alfred muttered. His voice cracked. “I didn’t want to ruin our friendship… I don’t know why I just said that. Just… forget I said anything. I -”

“I love you too… Alfred.”

Alfred’s heart jumped in his chest for a brief moment.

“…Ivan?”

“I love you.” Ivan repeated, feeling his cheeks heat up as he spoke. “I don’t want to ever lose you too.”

Alfred stared at Ivan through watery eyes. His heart was racing and his throat had tightened up once again. “Ivan… do you… mean it?”

“I would not lie to you.”

“Ivan…” Alfred slowly took a step towards the usually composed demon. Ivan’s eyes flickered elsewhere, as if unable to make eye contact with Alfred’s.

“I love you.” Alfred’s voice came out in a rush as he jumped straight into Ivan’s arms.

Caught by surprise, Ivan stumbled under Alfred’s weight. With a yelp, the two of them went crashing to the ground.

Alfred found himself face-to-face with Ivan, who was pinned to the ground underneath Alfred’s weight. Alfred could swear that his face was hot enough for Ivan to feel, even from here; that made him more embarrassed and he quickly rolled off.

“So… are we… together?” Alfred asked breathlessly. He was still lying on the ground, eyes closed. He chuckled nervously as he realised the weight of his words. “Man, I’m really not… good at this.”

“…if you want to be.”

Alfred was silent for a moment. Disturbed by the sudden silence, Ivan sat up and looked over at Alfred.

Alfred opened his eyes and grinned at Ivan. “Then… I guess you’re my girlfriend now.”

“I am not a girl-!”

Alfred laughed and tackled Ivan. This time, he had lost the advantage of surprise. Ivan rolled over and easily pinned Alfred down by his wrists.

“Are you sure about that?” Ivan growled softly, even though there was a smile playing at his lips. Alfred shivered at the sudden shift in Ivan’s voice.

“Yep.” Alfred grinned back and pecked Ivan lightly against those beautiful, plush lips. The faintest brush of Ivan’s lips was simply electric and his own lips tingled at the touch.

Ivan let out a squeak of surprise and his entire face flushed red.

“Definitely.” Alfred wriggled out of Ivan’s grip, only to be straddled once again.

Alfred gulped as Ivan’s face moved increasingly close to his own. A long, forked tongue flickered against his lips, tickling his face before moving on down to his throat. 

“I guess I’ll have to change your mind.”

—o—o—o—

_Alfred finally broke the news._

“Ivan… I’ve done it.”

“Hm?” Ivan glanced over at his boyfriend, who was rushing over with a huge smile on his face. “Did you get your glasses stuck in your boot again?”

Alfred rolled his eyes and laughed. “Nope! Guess again?”

“…Did you slip on a leaf and kick one of your friends in the groin?”

“That was only once!” Alfred flushed with embarrassment. “And it wasn’t a leaf, it was a rock!”

“Same thing.” Ivan sat up and finally looked Alfred in the eye. “So, what did you do?”

“I finally persuaded the King to try sign a peace treaty.” Alfred burst out. “He’s going to try sign a peace treaty between the demons. We can finally be together!”

Ivan blinked as he tried to comprehend the information.

“You told me about that thing where, like, the demon killed the human at the very beginning, y’know?” Alfred continued excitedly. “So I did some research, and stuff, and I found out some more about it. I finally had enough evidence to show the king that demons and humans can coexist; since, that was an accident and all. Of course, it took a while, but he’s finally going to try to make a peace treaty with your Tsar.”

Alfred laughed brightly. Words were spilling from his lips faster than he could comprehend them himself. “We can finally be together! You can move in to my house and meet my bro Mattie, and, and…!”

“Alfred…” Ivan whispered, cutting him off. “That… that truly is wonderful.”

The tall demon laughed out loud, too (albeit a little quieter than Alfred’s outburst), much to Alfred’s delight, and clasped Alfred’s hands in his own. “We… we can be together.”

“I’ll show you the sunflower fields we have outside the village, and… and we can go to that cafe, and… and there’s so much I want to show you.” Alfred stared back into Ivan’s amethyst eyes. “I… There’s just one thing.”

“What?” Ivan’s excitement faded in an instant as he noticed Alfred’s sudden seriousness. “What.. what’s wrong? What is it?”

“Ivan…” Alfred took a deep breath. “I’m so lucky that I met you that fated day. You’ve… you’ve made me really happy. You’ve changed me for the better… and… and I really love you. I can’t bear ever losing you… and… and I just want to be with you forever.”

He kneeled down and presented Ivan a box.

“Will… will you make me the happiest man alive?”

“…will you marry me, Ivan?”

Ivan’s eyes widened.

Alfred gazed back hopefully. His hands were trembling and his heart was hammering rapidly in his chest.

“ _Da_ \- er, yes-!” Ivan tried to remain composed, but Alfred could see that his hands were shaking too. “Alfred… I… I don’t know how to… I just…” Ivan paused for a moment.

“I want to spend my life with you, too.” He said in a breathless whisper. “Alfred… you don’t know how happy you’ve made me, all this time, and… I love you.”

Alfred removed the ring from the box. He took Ivan’s right hand in his own and gently slipped the ring - a simple silver one with an amethyst in the middle, as Alfred couldn’t exactly afford a fancier one - on his finger.

He looked up into Ivan’s amethyst eyes and slowly straightened up. 

“I love you.” Alfred echoed.

“I love you too.”


	3. Chapter 3

_People would stare and whisper about them behind their backs._

Alfred didn’t care. Human, demon, man or woman - none of it mattered as long as it was Ivan.

Ivan stumbled as Alfred pulled him out into the sunlight with great enthusiasm. “Um, Alfred -”

Alfred laughed. The sound of his laughter rang clear across the town as he bounded through the streets. “This is amazing!”

If people didn’t know, they would have thought that Alfred was the excited demon that had never been in a town before.

Ivan gulped and looked around at everyone. There were people everywhere, glaring at him with baleful eyes and whispering hateful words under their breath.

Alfred paused and looked around too, as if suddenly noticing everyone around them.

“I don’t care if people look at us or stare.” Alfred suddenly spoke. There was a sudden note of determination in his voice as he practically shouted to the world: “They can say anything they want, but that won’t ever stop me from loving you.”

As if that wasn’t enough, he spun around on his heel and shouted to anyone who was listening: “Ivan is my fiancé and I love him!”

Ivan flushed red and buried his face in his scarf. “Ah, Alfred… you…”

Alfred laughed and shouted out again. “Ivan is my fiancé and I love him!”

People whispered. They jeered, clapped, laughed; but Alfred ignored them all as he swept Ivan into his arms.

“I love you.” He whispered a third time.

“Alfred…” Ivan’s face was bright red. Finally, he muttered out a “I love you too”. Alfred laughed and pecked him on the nose before pulling him upright.

“C’mon, let’s go!”

—o—o—o—

_They would’ve celebrated by going to that cafe near Alfred’s house._

“Man, all of this looks so good!” Alfred was practically salivating over the menu. “Hey, Ivan, what do you want to get?”

“Me?” Ivan stared down at the menu. “I… don’t know.”

“Aw, c’mon, choose something!” Alfred paused, then smiled mischievously. “Or choose something for me and we can share.”

“Share…?” Ivan blinked. “I, uh…”

The demon shrugged helplessly.

Alfred pouted. “Well, at least choose anything that looks good!” He gestured at the pictures. “You know, maybe this… pancake? Or this… pudding?”

“Pancake?” The words were foreign on Ivan’s tongue.

“Yeah, pancakes!” Alfred’s eyes lit up. “They go with, like, fruit, and butter, and syrup! They’re really good!”

Ivan chuckled softly at his fiancé’s excitement. “Well… you seem to like it, so I suppose… this ‘pancake’, then.”

“Alright! Hey, can we order?” Alfred waved his hand at the closest waitress. The woman nervously shuffled over, giving Ivan terrified glances as she stuttered out “W-what would you like?”

Alfred didn’t seem to notice the woman’s jumpiness. “Could we get this, uh, pancake? You know, number forty-five?” He gestured at the image on the menu.

“O-of course, sir.” The waitress scribbled something down on her paper. “And, er, anything else?”

“Nope!” Alfred turned to Ivan. “Do you want anything? Like, drinks, or something?”

“…” Ivan started as he realised that the waitress was watching him anxiously. “Um, no thank you.” He tried to smile politely at the waitress in an imitation of Alfred’s toothy smile.

The waitress jumped and let out a small scream. The other customers looked over curiously, before quickly looking away when they made eye contact with Ivan.

“Did… I do anything wrong?” Ivan’s brow furrowed as he watched the waitress leave hurriedly.

“Nah, you did nothing wrong.” Alfred flashed a glare at anyone who was still staring at Ivan. He turned back to his fiancé. “Everyone’s just kind jumpy, I guess.”

“Jumpy…?” Ivan’s face fell. “I’m sorry.”

“No, no, don’t apologise!” Alfred placed his hands on Ivan’s broad shoulders and gazed fixedly up into his violet eyes. “It’s not your fault, I promise. They’re just not used to seeing demons around. They’ll get used to it.”

“Besides…” Alfred pulled back to give Ivan a wide smile. “You’re with me, remember? I don’t care what anybody thinks, and neither should you.”

Ivan smiled at Alfred’s reassurance and leaned down to nuzzle his hair. “I do hope so.”

—o—o—o—

_Alfred would invite Ivan to move in as soon as possible._

Ivan didn’t bring much to Alfred’s home. After all, Alfred already had furniture and… to be honest, Alfred didn’t have a lot in his home since he lived alone (and his ex-demon hunting job hardly paid anything to those who were unlucky enough to not encounter and kill demons).

“What job do you think I should get, since… demon hunting isn’t, like, a thing?” Alfred pondered as he kicked his legs back on his rickety couch. “And do you want a job? What do you think you could do?”

“A job?” Ivan tilted his head to the side in confusion. “What kinds of jobs do you humans have?”

“Eh, basically everything.” Alfred shrugged. “What are you good at? Any interests?”

“…” Ivan stared blankly back at Alfred.

“Well… maybe we’ll figure out some of your strengths later?” Alfred offered after an awkward pause.

“…perhaps.”

The two sat in silence for a long moment. Alfred gazed thoughtfully up at the ceiling and Ivan decided to perch himself on the edge of the couch.

“Thank you for letting me move in.” Ivan finally spoke.

“Hey, no problem. Anything for my handsome fiancé, right?” Alfred turned towards Ivan. “How are your sisters doing?”

“Natalya is… not happy. She has never liked humans. Yekaterina, on the other hand… she has always been interested in humans and how they work. I think she would get along with humans well.”

“That’s cool.” Alfred smiled. “I hear that the king is going to do something about arranging homes for demons.”

“That would be good.” Ivan nodded slowly. “I am glad the Tsar has become quite accepting of humans. It appears that both sides are tired of this constant fear, and wish to improve relations now that we have… this peace.”

Alfred nodded in meaningless reply and went back to staring at the ceiling.

A playful smile pulled at Ivan’s lips as he suddenly straightened up. “Well, Alfred…”

“Hm?” Alfred turned back towards Ivan, only to let out a small yelp as he was suddenly lifted up. “Hey, Ivan, what are you…”

Ivan chuckled as he flipped the American with ease. Alfred let out a surprised yelp as he found himself staring up at Ivan.

Ivan blinked down at him innocently and leaned forwards. Alfred found his face heating up as Ivan pressed his hands down against Alfred’s shoulders to steady himself.

“Alfred…” A long, forked tongue fluttered at Alfred’s throat. He shivered at the touch.

“Alfred, Alfred, Alfred.” Ivan whispered the name like it was a mantra as he gently tickled Alfred’s face with his tongue.

“Hey, stop teasing.” Alfred complained.

The tongue fluttered over his lips, which effectively shut him up.

Ivan smiled down again. This time, there was a certain glint in his eyes as he leaned towards Alfred’s face again.

“Hm? What do you mean by that?”

Ivan nuzzled Alfred’s cheek and planted a tiny kiss upon his skin.

Alfred opened his mouth, probably about to complain again. Ivan pressed his own lips to Alfred’s own before he could speak.

Alfred’s face flushed a brighter red, if that was even possible. But he returned the kiss with fiery passion, determined not to be the one to back down despite his initial embarrassment.  
His forked tongue flickered against the inside of Alfred’s cheek.

Alfred abruptly burst out laughing, effectively shattering the moment.

“Is there something wrong?” Ivan pulled away, gazing down at Alfred with concern.

“S-sorry, it tickles.” Alfred inhaled deeply and exhaled shakily.

“Tickles?” Ivan tipped his head to the side. “Is this… one of those human things?”

“What? Come on. There’s no way you’ve never been tickled before.” Alfred sat up and reached out.

Ivan watched him curiously as Alfred poked him in the ribs. Alfred gaped at the lack of reaction. “What?! No way…”

Alfred gently trailed warm fingers across Ivan’s palm, then reached for his neck.

Ivan jolted away. “Um, what are you…?”

“I promise I won’t hurt you.” Alfred looked up at Ivan with those dazzling blue eyes and smiled. “Do you trust me?”

Ivan watched Alfred cautiously. Finally, he exhaled shakily. “…yes.”

“Alright. This’ll only take a moment.” Alfred reached out and gently nudged the scarf away. He shivered at the sight of the thin scar across Ivan’s neck and gently ran his fingers along it out of pure instinct.

Ivan flinched at the initial touch and jerked away instinctively.

“Should I… stop?” Alfred said, suddenly worried. “I don’t want to be intruding on anything -”

“No…” Ivan reached out and placed a hand against Alfred’s own. “I… don’t mind. As long as it is you.”

“Alright.” Alfred nodded and gave Ivan a gentler smile. “Just tell me immediately if you want me to stop, okay?”

Ivan nodded wordlessly. Alfred reached out again and brushed his fingers lightly over Ivan’s neck once again.

Ivan let out something that sounded like a choked burst of laughter. His eyes widened and he immediately slapped a hand over his mouth.

“Ah…”

Alfred laughed. “See? You’re ticklish. I knew there was no way demons weren’t ticklish at all!” He reached out again.

Ivan grabbed his wrist and pinned it against the side of the couch. “I see.” He said, swallowing the rest of his laughter. “So this is what you mean by things being ‘ticklish’.”

He paused for a moment, then smirked down at Alfred. “I’m not letting you distract me from what I was planning to do, though…”

Alfred gulped as Ivan pinned his other wrist to the arm of the couch.

Ivan leaned forward again. “Anyway, where were we…?”

The tongue fluttered against his cheek once again. Alfred shivered with excitement as Ivan drew closer.

“I think it was… here.”

Faintly cool lips connected with Alfred’s warm ones once again.


	4. Chapter 4

All of that seemed tantalisingly close. Everything was settled; only one more night left before Alfred could finally - _finally_ \- show Ivan his world.

Alfred wandered the forest alone, his rifle swinging loosely from one hand and his heart hammering.

_One more night before we can finally be together._

He had made Ivan promise to stay deep in the forest and not stray out too far to keep him safe from the other hunters.

“One night.” Alfred breathed aloud. The forest was quiet around him; there was nobody to hear him turn over his own thoughts.

Ivan had informed him that all demons were aware of this peace treaty. There were mixed feelings about it - joy, anger, fear - but all of them wanted to keep their lives. Many of them had chosen to stay home tonight to live for the next day.

The humans were a different story. Everybody had been fed horrifying stories of demons tearing open poor, unsuspecting humans. Nobody - except for Alfred - had really gotten to know one of these demons in person, which was why Alfred was unable to persuade the hunters to stay home this night.

Tonight was the last night that it would be legal to kill a demon. The hunters were probably out, yearning to be the one to shed the last drop of demon blood.

The human King and the demon Tsar were probably readying to sign the peace treaty by morning.

The sun was rising. Alfred paused to watch it from between the branches of a tree; the rays of red and orange twisting together with a violet sky to form the beginnings of dawn.

He checked his watch: 5:50.

The treaty was supposed to be signed at six.

_Ten minutes… ten minutes until I can see him again._

Ten minutes had never seemed so long.

Alfred drummed his fingers nervously against the end of his rifle. The sun continued to creep up into the sky, turning the deep indigos and violets of night into a brilliant blue. Everything was still and peaceful.

Then there was a gunshot.

Alfred jumped at the sound.

_There should be no demons out. Why… why are the other hunters…_

Another gunshot rang out clear in the air, followed by a terrifying screech.

Alfred broke into a sprint. He weaved in between trees and jumped over logs as he raced towards the sounds of the gunshots, even though he didn’t know why.

_It can’t be Ivan… it’s not Ivan, right?_ Alfred mentally berated himself for being so selfish, but that was gone in an instant when he nearly ran straight into -

They both hit the ground. The figure let out a low, animalistic growl, which sent chills straight up Alfred’s spine as he tried to scramble away.

However, it dwindled into a high pitched whine of pain and a choked voice.

“Alfred…?”

_Who… who would know my name?_

“Alfred… I’m sorry.”

That voice. That sweet, melodic voice was ragged at the edges with pain, sending Alfred’s heart plummeting.

“Ivan?”

His beautiful fiancé’s hair was stained with mud and dirt. His hands clutched at the wound in his chest desperately as his breaths came out in ragged gasps. His fingers and chest were smeared with red; a startling crimson stained the back of Alfred’s retinas and seeped out onto the forest floor.

Alfred gently pried away the hands clutching at the wound. Ivan jerked away at the touch with a hiss, but calmed down as Alfred whispered soothing words into his ear. Alfred’s heart cried out at the state of his beautiful demon fiancé as he gently stroked his hair.

Ivan’s pale face was streaked with tears.

“I’m sorry…” He gasped. “I’m sorry I broke my promise. They… they didn’t stop at the border. They went in with their rifles and guns and… and I had to protect my family and everyone else, Alfred.”

“Ivan…” Alfred trailed off. His throat was tight, holding back the sobs that threatened to spill from his lips.

“Why must you play the hero?” He finally choked out as he gently pried Ivan’s hands away from his wound.

_That’s… that’s my job. It’s my fault I couldn’t keep the hunters back - my fault -_

Ivan whimpered and tried to pull away. Alfred reached out again with shaking hands. “Ivan…”

The demon let out a low whine but let Alfred nudge his hands out of the way. Alfred stared at the patch of crimson, feeling his head spinning as he felt the warm wetness stain his fingers as well.

“Five minutes.” Alfred muttered as he checked his watch. “I’ll save you. You’re not going to die. Ivan, please… you’re strong enough; please hold out.”

Five minutes. Only five minutes: then Alfred could get Ivan to a hospital and they would have to help him, no matter what. If they stayed unnoticed for four more minutes, Alfred could save him. The hunters wouldn’t be able to do anything else to his Ivan.

Ivan curled up against Alfred with a choked whimper.

“Alfred…” Ivan mumbled into Alfred’s chest. His horns were poking Alfred uncomfortably in the ribs but Alfred couldn’t care about that. He could only hold Ivan in his arms and whisper soothing words in his ear.

“Four minutes.”

Ivan coughed softly. “Alfred…”

“Shh…” Alfred gently ran a hand along Ivan’s soft, ash blond hair. “Save your strength.”

He checked his watch again.

“Three minutes.”

Ivan gazed blearily up at him, but stayed quiet. Alfred gently wiped at Ivan’s pasty face with a hand, trying to wipe away his tears. He didn’t even care that tears were trickling down his own face as well.

“Alfred…” Ivan whispered again.

“Hm…?”

Ivan nuzzled Alfred’s cheek. “I… I love -”

A sudden cry startled them from their lull.

There was a click.

Ivan’s whisper was drowned out in the gunshot that followed.

Beautiful amethyst eyes hazed over with fog. Alfred’s cheek felt very wet; and not with tears.

There was blood in his mouth.

Alfred stared blankly down at Ivan. There was a ragged hole in his head and blood trickled down his face, entwining with his smeared tears.

“Hey, is that… Al?”

There were footsteps. Alfred could only stare numbly at the body of his fiancé as the other hunters approached.

“Hey, Al; we got in the last shot! Ain’t that -”

Alfred cried out. His vision was blurred with tears and red.

Amethyst stained the backs of his eyelids as he stood up.

He didn’t hear their horrified cries as bullet holes appeared in their chests.

He didn’t hear their bodies hitting the floor.

He could only hear Ivan. Ivan’s voice filled his head as he stumbled back towards his fiancé’s body.

“Ivan.”

“Ivan.”

Alfred shook the body.

Ivan’s skin was cool against his fingers.

“Ivan…” Alfred’s voice cracked.

He cried out again and buried his face against Ivan’s scarf.

“You… you promised…” He sobbed against the demon’s chest. “You promised you would never leave me. You promised to be here, waiting for me…”

Alfred curled up next to Ivan. “Ivan… please… don’t go.”

Empty amethyst eyes stared back.

They were the colour of a fairytale twilight; of smoky violets and dying lavenders on a field dusted with ash.

They were the colour of dreams; of bittersweet, longing kisses, snatched away in an instant by a single gunshot.

They were the colour of the eyes of a demon who had captured Alfred’s heart that fateful day and changed his life forever.

The hands on Alfred’s watch ticked over to six o’clock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so happy that you wanted RusAme because I absolutely love RusAme and researching for this (scrolling through the tag on Tumblr for ages) and writing this just made me love the ship more. (I'm definitely going to have to write/draw more for this ship/Hetalia ships in general…) Also, I’m really sorry about the OOCness…
> 
> I'm not used to writing angst (and I hate seeing my favourite characters die) but somehow my brain forced me to write this anyway. If I did my job right, you (and anyone reading this) should be at least slightly sad about what happened. (I'm the one who wrote this and even I felt really bad about torturing my current-favourite ship like this…)
> 
> Anyway, I really enjoyed writing this! I absolutely love writing fluff (even though I'm not great at it) and writing angst was an... interesting new experience? I hope you like my Secret Santa gift to you, Shepka!


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